Texas Turf ($250.000 Purse)
LS- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
June 28, 2025

A group of five is set to go to post for the fifth running of the Texas Turf at LS, an ungraded stake with a purse higher than many Grade 3’s. The race was initially run in 2004 but then took a long time before it was carded again, running for the second time in 2022. Last year’s edition was won by the seven-year-old Buffalo G, for Nakamura Stables. That gelding remains active and has now made 53 starts over his career. As for Nakamura Stables, the trainer has won two of the four running of the Texas Turf but will not be fielding an entry this time around. Let’s take a look at now at those who will be running:

1- Lantern Yard (Avenue Z, ridden by R E Eramia)- This six-year-old Copper Bottom horse is a veteran of 41 career starts, and was seen in the BC Turf Sprint last fall. Despite that, Lantern Yard has not won as often as the trainer would like, only doing so five times. Plus, he is only 1-for-22 going a mile or longer over his career. That does not mean he should be written off, as he has earned triple digit SRF’s in two of his last four, and a 99 in another, and they are all at a mile on the turf. It does seem as though if he’s going to get that second win going long, that the timing is right. I really like that June 15th work at CD.

2- Winned (La Gloria Stable, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- The next chapter begins for this horse, and I am very interested in seeing how it plays out. Prior trainer Team 7 Illusions dropped this gelding that he once held in very high regard, into an optional claimer, and La Gloria Stable put down the $100.000 to pick him up. How much will that investment pay off, if it does at all when factoring in nomination fees, is the question now. Winned didn’t beat anyone in that optional claimer but perhaps a change of scenery can help for him. Does he still have it and is about to bounce back in a big way? Did Team 7 Illusions cash in at the perfect time? Will be interesting to watch, both in this race and beyond. Unless I’m missing something, this looks to be the stable’s first stake entry of any sort, as well.

3- Manticore (High Voltage, ridden by D Van Dyke)- Since December, Manticore has only made three starts, and he has been inconsistent in them. First the good, which was in February at FG in the Grade 3 FG Stakes, earning a 100 SRF along the way. But his two starts on either side of that have not been good, being soundly beaten, and I am not going to write off his Ft Marcy performance as only being because of the yielding turf. Manticore can win this race is his FG Stakes side shows up, and if you’re High Voltage, you have to keep plugging away with these opportunities due to that potential. But I can’t make him one of my picks.

4- Were Wolf (Riggins Racing, ridden by A J Juarez Jr)- Starting in October of last year, Were Wolf has finished first or second in all seven of his races, with five being wins. While most of them were in overnights, two of them were in graded stakes, including a 102 SRF in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at SA in December. Despite that great showing, Were Wolf was dropped into open allowances, and even as far down as TUP two starts ago. Never stopped being effective, and the trainer has his reasons for doing this, I’m sure, but Were Wolf is back at the level where he belongs right now and hopefully will continue to be as long as he gets results.

5- State Cavier (Diablo Diablo, ridden by D Cabrera)- Similar to Were Wolf, State Cavier has finished as a part of the exacta in his last nine races, with three of them being wins. He was on a four race second place streak before he was sold from Smokey Stover in that stable’s dollar sales and would extend that seconditis streak to six in his first two races with Diablo Diablo. Of those seconds, only one was at the stake level, the $100.000 Carousel Handicap at GP in January. The second-place streak came to an end right here in April in the best way possible, with a race win. He’s now won two in a row and maybe he can run off a long winning streak. Can dig back further in his history to find more intermittent stake history and even a win in one, so he’s not out of place.

Prediction: 4-5-1-2

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded